


Burning; It Is All Burning

by lokigodofmenace



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Completed, Electrocution, Loki is a mess, Loki is in a bad way and a mess, Loki's life is horrible and this does not end well, One-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 07:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13208880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokigodofmenace/pseuds/lokigodofmenace
Summary: "It had gone dark again. And cold. Except he could not feel cold. He could feel only burning; burning that raced up, and back, and down, and again and again. He had to concentrate in spurts now; visualize the little box and determine to move, just a few inches, before stopping to rest."What if Korg had never come along? What if Thor left and Loki realized... there was no getting out of this.





	Burning; It Is All Burning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [small-potato-of-defiance](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=small-potato-of-defiance).



> So. Small-potato-of-defiance wanted to read a fic where Korg never came and... well. This. It's all bad. It all hurts. You've been warned.

Loki dropped like a stone. Honestly, he _heard_ what Thor was saying, but only in half-words and expressions, as the electrical current tightened and loosened every one of his muscles in continual, shivering agony. His voice was frozen, his chest tight, and he barely managed to _breathe_ for the pain and the constant seizing.

His attention was on the controller, waving around in Thor’s palm; dangling above him, just out of reach, like so much in his life that was just beyond his ability to attain. Thor was talking about _cycles_ and _betrayal_ , and something about _change_.

Loki’s eyes reflected his fear. Pain was hardly _new_. In fact, it was far from. He was familiar with this burning, aching, _stabbing_ kind of pain that made his body feel like it was afire and his nerves roar, but the prospect of it not _ending_?

Thor stood and tossed the controller, and if Loki had been able he might have begged. Thor did not _know_. He did not know about The Void and about Titan’s and servants and months and months of something not far from _this_. And now he was leaving, and Loki felt his eyes grow hot.

The pain engulfed him for a moment, and the silence was filled with what noise he could make with nearly paralyzed vocal cords. He grunted, and wept, and the tears sizzled and rolled, crackling softly down toward his ear.

 _Do not leave me like this. Do not leave me. Do not_. His thoughts gasped, and any moment he hoped Thor would step back into view and turn the cursed thing _off_ and he could breathe...!

But the seconds stretched to minutes, and Loki twitched and twisted, and dug his fingers into the floor.

Thor was not coming back.

With his teeth clenched Loki tried to move. He no longer had mastery of his limbs. He could not _do_ anything but writhe, and feel the disk unrelenting, and the current hissing through him. But he _tried_. He gasped, thinking perhaps to forsake his pride and call for help, but it only made him feel like _screaming_ when he tried to clench his diaphragm. The electricity made his midsection seize all the harder and he felt it searing over his stomach and up into his chest.

 _Norns...! Help me_..! He thought, his mind slurring together. He could hear the sizzling in his thoughts.

* * *

Hours. it had been _hours_.

Loki had moved toward it. A foot, perhaps. It had felt like an insurmountable distance. His neck and collar were soaked from tears and sweat. His body had no knowledge of what to do, with every muscle tightening and untightening as it was electrocuted.

He was _burning_. Norns, he was burning.

He fixed his eyes on the controller - small, rectangular, silver. He _had_ to reach it.

In the distance, Loki heard laser-fire. Shouts, and clamor, and guns. He knew the world, as Sakaar new it, was coming down, but he could not bring himself much to care, except to hope some escaping gladiator would happen past and deign to _help_ him.

He thought he heard someone, perhaps two hours later. He opened his mouth to try and call, but stopped when the pain surged and he just twitched, helplessly.

* * *

It had gone dark and then the light had returned. Loki knew that much, but his vision was starting to blur. Had it really been a day? Or had he blacked out for a few, merciful moments and then regained consciousness, still locked onto the floor?

 _Breathe. Just breathe..._ He tried to tell himself, but it _hurt_ , and he could only choke and shiver in pain. _No, I cannot. I cannot do this_.

Where was Thor now? On Asgard? Was he even alive?

Loki turned his shaking head, and saw the gleaming control box. He _was_ nearer, though he did not know by how much. His vision did not stay clear for long, before it blended back into a throbbing, moist smudge.

* * *

It had gone dark again. And cold. Except he could not feel cold. He could feel only _burning_ ; burning that raced up, and back, and down, and again and _again_.

He had to concentrate in spurts now; visualize the little box and determine to move, just a few inches, before stopping to rest. The pain was exhausting him. He had no strength; no iron.

He only knew he _had_ to keep moving.

At some point memories had begun to plague him. He seemed to recall Thor, but Mjolnir was on Loki’s chest, and he could not _move_ , and Thor was laughing as the hammer crushed his ribs.

No, no. That was not right...

Thor again. Kneeling beside him. He was talking. _You could be so much more_.

Loki parted his lips and gasped, _I will be. Norns, please. Thor...!_

* * *

Dark. Light. Dark again. Any noise except the rush of his own, agonized breath and the chatter of his teeth as he trembled, violently, from the electricity had vanished.

He kept his eyes closed now, but extended one hand, slowly, painfully. Maybe he had been imagining the control box all this time. Maybe he had seen what he _wanted_.

Loki could only feel, and twitch, and keep moving.

* * *

His fingers grasped something. Loki inhaled, sharply, and felt it’s shape ( _Norns, I cannot feel. It only burns. Burning..._ ). It was warm. Almost hot. Or maybe that was his skin. But when he forced open his blood-shot eyes he thought he made out its shape.

Could it be...!

Loki squeezed it. Suddenly the buzzing stopped. His muscles relaxed, the fire receded, and every part of him went limp.

He could still barely see. There was a _crackling_ in his mind. But he knew, at once, it was _done_.

Loki inhaled, deeply, and then with his last bit of strength twisted up and vomited.

* * *

He dreamed restlessly, and awoke with a start. His back and legs felt stretched and worn, like he had been strained over a rack and then released. He stunk, and knew it would not take much for him to be ill again, but he wobbled to his feet nonetheless.

He had no idea what he was doing, or _where_ he was going, but he was determined not to collapse. It would not have been harder too walk if he had a stone tied to his neck, but he made it to a terminal and punched in codes he remembered were _important_.

He did not know how he managed to navigate the cat-walks and undo the hatch and practically _tumble_ into one of the Grandmaster’s ships, but he did. He made it almost to the pilot’s chair before he was sick again.

Loki was revolted by his own weakness, but he dragged himself up and strapped himself into the seat.

All he could think of was _Asgard_. Asgard. He had to know.

* * *

The ship rattled through the portal and popped into space on the other side. It’s hull shuddered, but it held together, and limped forward, toward the gleaming, gold jewel set into the sky. The Realm Eternal.

Asgard. Except no. No... there was light, fragments of rock, and chunks of crystal, _glowing_ where there ought to be Asgard, but Asgard?

Loki fell to his knees. _Hard_.

Asgard was gone.


End file.
